Do you take time to reflect?

Do you take time to reflect on your accomplishments? I often discuss that with my clients on how much time we spend beating ourselves up for the things we did ‘wrong’ and yet, when we’ve done something ‘right,’ we are ready to move onto the next great thing. It’s so funny to me as although I coach people on living life in deep (and I mean DEEP) appreciation, I can catch myself focusing on what I could have done better rather than what I have done. Even funnier, is it took the 10-year birth announcement of Positive Focus for me to step back and fully reflect on life then and now. Read on…

April 26, 2009 – PF Party

April 24, 2007 – The birth announcement for Positive Focus took place, although PF didn’t become a 501c3 until 2009. Soon after, I held my first event, a book club where we discussed the book “Working with the Law” by Raymond Holliwell, May 7th, 2007, to be exact.

There has been great laughter. There have been many tears.

Book discussion, movie nights, gratitude parties, picnics, game nights, Team Intenders, making sack lunches for the homeless, serving dinner at A Just Harvest, and local and global free hugs.

Board members and event leadership has come and gone over the years and although sometimes in the moment scary and sad, it just grew a new perseverance muscle for me.

Early days I spoke of PF sheepishly as although I loved the vision, I wasn’t confident in myself to bring her to fruition and I didn’t want to hear ‘how can YOU do that’ from those I wanted to hear ‘you’ve got this!’ Telling people, you want to spread global positivity is a mouthful for most to swallow.

How PF was to look 10 years ago to where she is today is a different picture. Yet, the intention of offering ways for people to focus on love over fear, peace over conflict, health over illness, and abundance over lack remains as the common thread from day one until now.

A good friend reminded me recently how far I’ve come as I can often focus on wanting to do more and forget to look at what I have done. This positive person catches herself thinking ‘how can I do MORE to showcase the love and kindness that is in our beautiful world while bringing MORE love to the messy parts while seeing love is right there too.

In 10 years, I have MANY times wanted to throw in the towel and yet I know at my core that I can’t, as that would be giving up on me. PF is my passion. PF is my purpose. PF is my calling.

Following your passion, your purpose, your calling isn’t always easy, yet it is oh so worthwhile (she reminds herself LOL). If you have the passion to pursue it, you will grow the fortitude to move through it.

I am a different person because of PF. I imagine whatever you have gone through in the last 10 years, 5 years, 1 year, or last week, you too are a different person. Take a moment and forgive yourself for things you wished you did differently and congratulate yourself on accomplishments that you brushed off as ‘no big deal.’ It is time to move forward regardless if your journey to this point has been easy sailing or mastering the storm. You deserve to live a meaningful, healthy, abundant, and fun life!

Moving forward, I encourage you to reflect on

Beauty: See all the good that was in your world, is in your world, and is coming into your world. Be hyper vigilant and focus on seeing beauty everywhere – especially within yourself!

Love: When you catch yourself doubting your worth or something isn’t going the way you want it to go, step back for a moment and reflect on love. Love never leaves you, even in moments of crisis. We often find ourselves so focused on fear when things aren’t going as planned, that we forget to see love.

Appreciation: Don’t wait to arrive at the destination to honor appreciation. Had PF took off the way I had thought 10 years ago, I wouldn’t have had nearly the confidence or knowhow to sustain it. I’ve grown so much because of the many loving experiences, and yes – also through the disappointing ones.

Mostly, I wish for you is to see your reflection of someone who lives life fully with an open heart, an open mind, open arms and the willingness to not only get up when you fall, but to have the ability to see the fall as part of your beautifully messy journey.

Until next time, be a reflection of the truth that you are – you are loved and loving.

Affirmation:

I am a reflection of love

Words to Live By

“There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.”

~ Edith Wharton

“Life is a mirror and will reflect back to the thinker what he thinks into it.” ~ Ernest Holmes

“Life is only a reflection of what we allow ourselves to see.” ~ Author Unknown